


The Great Pretender

by VintageQueer



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Gay Disaster Shiro (Voltron), Gay Keith (Voltron), Gay Shiro (Voltron), M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Romantic Tension, Sexual Tension, fake dating au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:08:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23705878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VintageQueer/pseuds/VintageQueer
Summary: Under the guise of a lot of alcohol, they both think that it's a brilliant master plan to appease all their friends and family, and  they don't even bother thinking about the consequences or the details.In the morning, when their genius plan is brought out in broad day-light and they realize how ridiculous it is, Keith is too sweet and too kind of a person to let Shiro go through the wedding alone, and they decide to go through with their crazy ass plan anyway.Which is how Takashi Shirogane, one of the smartest people in his field, ends up on a plane next to his best friend and very probable crush, discussing how they are supposed to go about pretending to be a couple in front of everyone they know for the next four days.
Relationships: Allura/Lance (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am a sucker for fake-dating AUs. Hope you guys enjoy it :)

Why Keith even lets Shiro talk him into anything anymore, He has no idea.

He should have learned that two and a half years ago when Shiro, a literal stranger at the time, insisted on sitting next to Keith in class, when Keith made it fairly clear that he wasn’t interested.

That lead to them being project partners. Which lead to weekly, sometimes twice weekly study session, and then that lead into normal hang out sessions. Which eventually of course turned into Shiro insisting they become best friends.

He should have learned that lesson two years ago when Shiro managed to convince him to try tequila and to try to do a keg stand in the same night, which is a night Keith still does not remember to this day.

He should have learned that lesson a year and a half ago when Shiro decided to take him to the beach out of the blue, leading to him spilling his life story out beneath the night sky and in front of the bonfire, and the worst and most uncomfortable sunburn in his life.

He should have learned that lesson a year ago when Shiro talked him into quitting his shitty job at the local coffee-shop, which ended with Keith unemployed and relying entirely on his grants and Shiro for the next six months.

He should have learned that lesson seven months ago when Shiro asked him to move into his apartment. A decision that has caused Keith more confusion and heart ache and awkward boners then he would care to admit.

He should have learned his lesson six months ago when he let Shiro do their grocery shopping and they ended up living off of dried ramen, string-cheese and cookie-dough ice cream for a week straight.

He should have learned that lesson five months ago when he let Shiro talk him into going to the gym with him because now he, an official hermit and world-class introvert, has a heavily social job as a self-defense trainer and somehow ends up pinned to the floor with a hot Shiro pressed to his back, every single Thursday night.

He should have learned his lesson four months ago when he let Shiro try to cook them dinner and they had to have a very uncomfortable discussion with the property manager and the local fire department volunteers.

He should have learned that lesson two months ago when he let Shiro talk him into hanging out with James Griffin. Which somehow turned into dating James Griffin. Which turned out to be way more pain then it was worth.

He should have learned that lesson last week when he let Shiro talk them into drinking both their relationship sorrows away. Which lead to the worst hang over Keith’s ever had in his life.

He should have learned that lesson, sometime, anytime, in the three years he and Takashi Shirogane have been friends. At the very least, sometime before last night, when He let Shiro talk him into pretending to be his boyfriend.

The problem was that Shiro’s friends keep asking him when he plans on ‘getting back out there’, after he and his high school sweet-heart, Adam, got in a particularly nasty breakup exactly 8 days ago. They’re all very concerned about Shiro’s emotional(specifically romantic) wellbeing, especially with one of Shiro’s closest friends getting married in a week.

Keith on the other hand isnt actually all that broken up over his own breakup. He and James weren’t ever meant to be a couple. They hated eachother more than they liked eachother and that wasn’t healthy in the slightest. They dated more for the… Well… because they were both completley in love with someone they thought they couldn’t have. He and James broke up mutually, and it was for the better. But now Keith’s family is worried about him, not believing that he’s totally fine being single.

So, Shiro proposed a strategy. Keith would go with Shiro to Allura’s wedding, but as his boyfriend. This would be an easy way for Shiro to convince his friends that he really is over Adam, and happy without him. Romelle, Keith’s cousin, is actually one of Allura’s brides’ maids. So, this will give Keith the opprotunity to get his family off his back for a bit.

It doesn’t make any sense now, but it seemed like the perfect plan to solve all their problems , but that was when it was pitched at two in the morning after finals week and when they were on their sixth round of tequila shots and their fifth round of cheep vodka mixed with coke.

They had completley forgotten about the plan, and the fact that Shiro had called Allura that night to inform her he was brining a boyfriend, until the next morning, when Shiro received a text from her while he was packing that said: **‘Everything’s all set up and waiting for you. Can’t wait to meet your new mysterious boyfriend!’**

“Oh fuck” was Keith’s instant reply to seeing the text hovering in front of his eyes.

“You didn’t tell her it was me, right? Tell her you broke up” Keith, in bright sober daylight, realizes how dumb their plan is, and wants to kill it while he can. There is no way in hell he could survive pretending to be Shiro’s boyfriend.

“No way. It’s too late. She won’t believe that we somehow broke up in the last six hours. Even if she does, she’ll spend the whole time I am there feeling sorry for me” Shiro complains with a deep groan that hits Keith’s ears like hot smoke. He shakes his head as he plops down on the couch beside Keith.

A lot of people at their school thought Shiro was intimidating. Tall, broad shoulders, muscles for days, Scars and shining metal prosthetic arm. Not to mention his spotless reputation as the schools golden boy. People either hated him or idolized him. They had no idea that Shiro was actually just an over-grown husky puppy in human form.

“Okay, Shiro. How about this…” Shiro rests his head on Keith’s shoulder, so Keith snakes his arm behind his back, to rub at his shoulder. All stress and tension just feels from Keith’s body as Shiro melts into his touch, making all his hesitation about the situation just go flying out the window. He’s can’t leave Shiro like this.

“We can keep up the plan. Just… Just tell Allura that we just started dating. Like testing the waters dating. One we get back we can tell them we decided it just wasn’t meant to be, we are better off as friends, and we mutually and peacefully ended things.” Their masterplan from last night had everything they could think of, instead of a way out. Never once did they talk about what they’d do after the wedding, away from their friends and family. They didn’t discuss what pretending to be boyfriends would entail. They definitely didn’t talk about how Keith very secretly wished that Shiro would actually ask him out.

“You sure?” Shiro grumbles against Keith’s shirt.

Keith can count on one hand all the people in the world that he trusts enough to get close to him like this. He can count on one hand how many people actually seem to genuinely care about him. On one hand, he can count all the people who make naturally him feel safe, comfortable and happy. On those five fingers he can count every person who unconditionally supports and stands by him.

On even less, Keith can count the amount of people who are on all these lists and do so without being obligated to do so because they’re family.

Takashi Shirogane is on every single one of those lists. He has refused to leave Keith’s side for the last Three years. He’s been holding up Keith’s whole world for so long now. Through thick and thin and the good and the bad. When Keith wanted him there and when he didn’t. Shiro is his rock. There isnt anything he wouldn’t do to return the favor. He’d do anything for Shiro. He’d travel across the universe and back again and another hundred times, a thousand times, a million times over, however many times it would take. Shiro has saved him more times than he can count, he’d do anything to save Shiro.

Even put himself through pure self-torture by pretending to be dating the man he loves. If being Shiro’s fake-boyfriend is what will make Shiro feel safe and comfortable and happy then dammit Keith’s gonna be the best fake-boyfriend ever.

“Anything for you, Shiro. We got this.” Keith assures. Laying his head over Shiro’s. He shouldn’t indulge himself like this. Shouldn’t revel in Shiro’s presence and touch like he does. In Shiro’s mind, they’ll never be more then friends. Shiro probably sees him more like a brother than anything.

It’s not fair for Keith to take advantage of that. More likely than not, in a few weeks they’ll be back on this very couch playing video games and bickering like always, with Keith silently mourning a relationship that never really existed.

He really should stop letting Shiro talk him into things.

Especially when he knows those things will just lead to more heartbreak.

* * *

Shiro really needs to stop dragging Keith into his crazy plans. It really never ends well for him. It took him a while to learn that lesson though.

When he first started hanging around Keith, it was a lot of fun. They became best friends fast. Two peas in a pod. They fed off each other’s energy. Put the two of them alone and chaos would eventually follow.

But he didn’t realize what a terrible idea it all was until after Keith had moves in with him, after it was too late.

See, he had always known that Keith was cute. That was actually his first thought when they met. ‘Cute’. Keith was a shy, sort of grumpy kid that wanted nothing to do with him, and Shiro found that oddly endearing. He was really interested in Keith. Not romantically, it was a very platonic curiosity at first.

Then they started hanging out a lot more. They spent a lot more time together. Having fun drunk shenanigans that they both cannot fully remember but will never forget.

They also had a lot of non-alcoholic fun. A lot of late-night study sessions or movie marathons that always ended with them being a little bit closer the next day.

Keith was also a great friend to go to for emotional things. They were consistently there for eachother, always ready to support the other. Shiro talked Keith through all his panic attacks about schools, and a few times when Keiths family issues got a little hard. Shiro always turned to Keith for help with his own trauma, and the occasional advice for when Shiro was fighting with his boyfriend, Adam.

Shiro and Adam were one of those couples that dove in fast and worked out all the details later, which lead to a lot of arguments, and unfortunately, Keith had to hear about all of those arguments. He was always great about it though. Never complained. Just let Shiro rant and offered advice only when it was asked.

Keith is Shiro’s best friend. So when Keith was having a hard time at his job on top of his school work, he suggested he quit. When he saw Keith struggling a bit, he gave him all the support he could to ease his worry. He even had him move in.

Sounded like a great idea at the time. Being roommates with his best friends. But then Shiro started seeing a different side of Keith that he never thought he would. A side that he really liked.

Keith, peacefully asleep on the couch, looking like an innocent angel. Keith, exhausted and a little hungover stumbling into the kitchen early in the morning in nothing but his boxers. Keith fresh out of the shower with a towel around his waist and his hair sopping wet. Keith pinned down to the gym floor beneath him, sweating and panting.

Shiro always knew Keith was cute. He just hadnt realized Keith was also pretty, and beautiful, and hot and very painfully sexy.

Of course, Shiro was a faithful man in a relationship though, and in an incredible feat of denial and fear, he shoved those realizations way deep down into his subconscious.

Adam on the other hand, refused to hide it away. He had never liked the amount of time Shiro spent with Keith. Never liked that Shiro asked Keith to move in with him, and not Adam.

Shiro thought that setting Keith up with someone would solve all his problems. Keith could be happy, and Shiro could prove to Adam that he wasn’t into Keith.

But that back-fired greatly.

Seeing Keith being romantic with someone really pissed him off. At first he refused to admit it, but after a few weeks of Adam calling him out on his jealousy, it was impossible to ignore. Shiro did not like Keith being romantic with someone that wasn’t him.

Adams final straw wasn’t actually Keith though. It was school. Adam got an opprotunity to study abroad, and he wanted Shiro to come with him. He’d be spending the next semester in Japan, and since that was Shiro’s home country, he thought that Shiro would be thrilled to go with him.

But Shiro said no. He already had a life here. Yes he would love to go back, but as a vacation. He had a plan for his life, and he was going to stick to it. He had a good program for his degree going here. He had an incredible job here. He has his friends here. He has Keith.

Studying abroad was Adams dream, not Shiro’s, and Adam could not handle that. Shiro tried to make it work, he offered to do long distance. It was only one semester after all.

Adam is the one who wanted all or nothing. His parting words to Shiro were “You’ll be fine… You have Keith.”

And that’s the worst part. When he got back to his apartment, and it settled into his mind that he and Adam were no longer together, he wasn’t sad. He was relieved. It felt like a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He was free of a restraint he didn’t even know he was wearing.

Then Keith walked through the door with a big smile on his face, carrying in their groceries for the week telling Shiro all about some meat he got on sale that he wants to use for a recipe.

And suddenly a whole new burden was crushing him. Adam was right.

The way Shiro saw Keith… It was not platonic.

Shiro has not spent the last week mourning Adam and their relationship. No, his heart and mind seemed to silently process that one a long time ago. It feels a little weird, and it’s a little sad. But he’s more upset about the loss of friendship. He and Adam started out as friends all those years ago, they really only started dating because they just figured they should. Adam did say that maybe they could be friends again someday.

The mourning process his friends think he’s going through; the locking himself up in his bedroom, the under eating, the overeating, the excessive exercise, the marathons of cheesy romance movies. None of it is about Adam.

It’s all him trying to process his feelings for Keith.

And it really doesn’t help watching Keith get ready for dates and listening to him talk about the guy Shiro himself set him up with. Adam was right. Shiro was jealous. Really, really jealous.

So when Keith comes home one night after what was supposed to be a ‘fun date’ with James that Shiro thought(and really tried not to think about) he wouldn’t be coming home from, and tells Shiro that they broke up, he doesn’t suggest a drinking bender to ‘drown their relationship sorrows’ like Keith thought. As shitty as it sounds, Shiro was sort of celebrating. He knows it’s selfish, but it’s easier for him to figure this out if he’s not feeling guilty about Keith already dating someone like he had been for the last seven days.

Plus, Keith didn’t really seem upset. He wasn’t crying. He wasn’t frowning. He claimed that it was a mutual breakup, and he was okay with it, and Shiro could tell he was being honest.

Besides, Shiro did not really plan on them getting that wasted. Really, he just wanted to share a couple beers with Keith to maybe get his courage up to talk to him. About what? Who knows, but he was at least contemplating the idea of open communication with him, which is way more than he had for the past week.

But it went a little too far. Two beers turned into four. And four turned into six pretty quick. Then all of a sudden he gets a text from Allura about her wedding, and six beers is nine beers and two shots of he doesn’t even remember what sometime in the next hour that it takes Allura to give up on waiting for him to text back. She calls him on the phone and Shiro can’t even remember what they talked about.

He knows Allura asked him about if he’s still bringing a plus one to the wedding, and suddenly all that liquid courage he was supposed to use to tell Keith that he likes him as more than a friend into telling Allura that he has a brand new boyfriend that he’ll be bringing with him to the wedding.

After a very curious and excited Allura hung up, he started freaking out about his random declaration; and for whatever reason, he randomly decided that having Keith, his best friend and roommate that everyone already knows about and who Shiro might actually have feelings for, would make an excellent fake boyfriend to accompany him to their mutual friend’s wedding.

Under the guise of a lot of alcohol, they both think that it's a brilliant master plan to appease all their friends and family, and they don't even bother thinking about the consequences or the details.

In the morning, when their genius plan is brought out in broad day-light and they realize how ridiculous it is, Keith is too sweet and too kind of a person to let Shiro go through the wedding alone, and they decide to go through with their crazy ass plan anyway.

Which is how Takashi Shirogane, one of the smartest people in his field, ends up on a plane next to his best friend and very probable crush, discussing how they are supposed to go about pretending to be a couple in front of everyone they know for the next four days.

Somehow, they don’t talk about it until they’re sat down on the plane. Allura being the Heiress that she is, is paying for everyone’s flights, so getting Keith a ticket is not a worry, and she did not cheap out on the tickets.

They act like everything is normal until the moment they’re sitting down together at the back of the plane, realizing that they’ve really hit the point of no return.

It’s just the two of them in their row, and although it is actually fairly comfortable seating, Shiro still decides to busy himself with making sure they’re both as comfortable as possible. He brought a small throw blanket in his carry on and tosses it over both their legs. He also gets out his laptop, which he’s already downloaded some of Keiths favorite movies, and he’s got headphones for both of them.

He can tell by the slightly bounce of Keiths leg that he’s growing nervous.

“You’ve never flown, have you?” That had somehow never occurred to him. Keith didn’t exactly grow up with money, so traveling wasn’t really a thing for him. Shiro should have asked if he was comfortable with flying before they got his ticket.

“I’ll be fine.” He insistently shakes his head. But as the flight attendants go over their usual spiel of safety instructions, Keith seems to grow more and more nervous.

Instinctively, Shiro tries to calm him by grabbing a hold of his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze but guessing by the way Keith jolts at the sudden contact, it might not be the idea of flying that’s got him scared.

“If you’re having second thought, we can come up with a plan to worm our way out of this?” He offers, about to slide his hand away from Keiths, but it’s suddenly gripped tight and Keith shakes his head again.

“It’s fine... I’ll be fine…” He mumbles, keeping his eyes focused on the headrest in front of him, but the second the plane starts it’s take over, he squeezes the life out of Shiro’s hand(thankfully it’s the metal one) and hisses out; “I swear to god, If I die because your friends refuse to believe your over your ex, I am going to haunt Allura’s wedding and ruin her and Lances honeymoon.”

Shiro can’t help but laugh in response, and something about that seems to calm Keith down.

“Like I would ever let anything happen to you.” The words slip out of his mouth before he can even think about them and Keiths head snaps to look at him with wide eyes and Shiro internally curses because why must his eyes be so fucking gorgeous. Who even has violet covered eyes? It’s not fair.

“How are we going to do this? How are we supposed to make all your friends, and my cousin think that we are dating? We didn’t think this through, Shiro.” He’s right. They really didn’t think it through, but then again, what is there to think through.

“Lets just... start with being ourselves… We’re best friends, right? We know everything there is to know about eachother… We’ll just toss in a bit of PDA around them and it’ll be fine.” They already get mistaken for a couple all the time. It used to be awkward, especially if it happened when Adam was there, which did happen. The first time it was because they went out eat, a couple of Adams friends with them, and the waitress told Shiro that he and Keith made a cute couple. Adam didn’t speak for the rest of the night, and his friends never wanted to join them for dinner again after. Now it’s awkward for an entirely different reason; because, well, now he wishes they were dating and they’re not. Now it just seems kind of cruel.

“What if they ask how we started dating?” Keith counters, seemingly suspicious of this plan all of a sudden.

“We stick as close to the truth as possible. After Adam broke up with me, and you broke up with James, we got a little drunk and started talking and we thought that we should give dating a try.” That’s the conversation that was supposed to happen. He was supposed to bring his feelings up to Keith that night. But he chickened out and got himself in this weird form of self-torture instead.

“Any other questions, we’ll just wing it. We’ll be fine…” Shiro tries to reassure him again, but Keith doesn’t seem to be buying what he’s selling.  
“Keith… Listen to me… You know me better than anyone. You know me better than Adam ever did. You know me better then anyone else probably ever will. And I know you. We’re a team. A damn good team remember that. We’ve got this.”

Keith just holds his gaze for a second, eyeing him as if he were looking for some specific hidden word in Shiro’s eyes, which is honestly a little terrifying.

“Okay… You’re right… We’ll be fine…” He answers, repositioning himself in his seat to rest his head against Shiro’s shoulder, grabbing his set of headphones and popping them in.

“Now I am going to distract myself, so I don’t over think this giant metal death trap. Get me a ginger-ale when the lady comes by, please.”

He drops his arm behind Keith to hold him close as his answer. Might as well start now right. Get used to it while they can. For in just a few hours, they’re going to have to sell it to people who are over-eager to see them happy in a relationship, and while he’s positive they’ll have no problem acting as a ‘puppy-love couple’, he’s doubting that he’ll survive through it.

He dies inside a little when the flight attendant asks Shiro if his ‘boyfriend’ would like anything. They barely even have to try for strangers to think of them as a couple, which probably isn’t normal. It’s going to be a whole different game once they meet up with everyone else tomorrow morning. They all already know about Keith, because Shiro can’t shut the fuck up about him. Matt is the only one whose actually met Keith, but still, they’ll all heard him proclaim how Keith is such a great ‘friend’ and nothing more.

They’re gonna give him so much hell for this, he just knows it. They’ve never made anything easy for him before, why would this be any different? They’re gonna roast him alive in front of Keith.

“Are we using pet names?” Keith asks suddenly, pulling out one earbud, but not lifting his head from Shiro’s shoulder.

“What?” He chokes out, taken back a bit by the random question. That’s another thing they didn’t think about.

“Pet names? Terms of affection? Babe, sweetheart, dear. Shit like that. Are we using those?” He clarifies, mistaking Shiro’s shock for confusion. He really did not think about this one at all. He and Adam didn’t use pet-names. Adam thought they were weird and sort of childish or cheesy. Shiro had to agree with him on that one, cause anytime they tried it sounded more sarcastic than sweet.

“Baby.” It rolls right off his tongue, coming from somewhere deep in his sub-conscious and he doesn’t dare try to reflect on why he wants to use that for Keith right now.

Keith is silent for a moment, and he tilts his head to hide in Shiro’s shoulder a bit, like he’s embarrassed. Maybe that ones too much for him.

“Baby it is.” He mumbles out. “You get babe, then.” He adds on, and yeah, Shiro’s definitely feeling the embarrassment too.

“Are we…uhm… What’s our boundaries for PDA?” Is the next question. Shiro’s not sure about that one. They’re already sort of… touchy… Shiro’s got a bad habit of putting his hand on Keith’s shoulder anytime he’s in close enough range, which is constant because they don’t really know the meaning of personal space when it comes to eachother.

It took a long time before Keith let him initiate any kind of physical contact. When they first met Keith kept a good few foot between himself and literally everyone. He was never within arm’s reach. 

It took about six months for him to initiate a touch that wasn’t a high-five or a fist bump. Another couple months before Keith let Shiro touch him first, and it was of course, a hand on his shoulder.

The night that Shiro decided to pack up his car and drive Keith out to the beach, after learning he hadn’t gone since he was really young, was the night that Shiro finally learned why his best-friend was so conserved.

Keith spent approximately six years in foster care. From the age of eight to the age of sixteen. His dad died in a father and his mom was over seas in the army and no one could find her to inform her. He was essentially abandoned. And hoping from foster home to foster home didn’t work well with Keiths wild spirit. A couple of bad foster parents spread out over those years and Keith became both touch starved and touch scared.

So Shiro saw it as an honor that Keith trusted him enough to get close, trusted him enough to let him touch. So, he would exorcise that reward as often as he could. Especially because he knew how much Keith needed it.

They always stood or sat close to eachother, side by side, always. Or Shiro would put his hand on Keith’s shoulder, any chance he got, because it seemed to remind Keith that he was there and that seemed to relax him in any situation.

He supposes their usual touches arent going to be enough to satisfy their friends curiosities and doubts.

“I don’t think we’ll have to do much? No more than we already do… Hold hands and hug. Maybe a kiss on the cheek or something, but I doubt they’re expecting us to make out in front of them or anything.” He tries to joke, to make it a little light-hearted and ease their nerves but then his stupid thoughts get stuck on the idea of making out with Keith and his brain nearly short-circuits from it.

“Right… Holding hands and hugging will be fine… We can do that.” Keith’s voice is so low and quiet, he doesn’t seem to be amused by Shiro’s teasing either. Maybe he’s weirded out by the idea of them having to kiss. He’s got this fear in the back of his mind that Keith will be disgusted by Shiro once he knows the truth about his feelings. Which he knows won’t happen. If Keith doesn’t share his feelings, he still wouldn’t let it ruin their friendship. He knows that. He’s more scared that Keith won’t believe him, or that he’ll think Shiro’s just using him as a rebound, which isn’t the case at all.

They slip back into their comfortable silence after that, with Keith still snuggled into Shiro’s side as they watch one of Keiths favorite shows on Shiro’s laptop.

Neither of them sleep. Their landing is scheduled for pretty late in the afternoon, so when they finally manage to get out of the airport they just head straight for their hotel.

The reservation is under Shiro’s name, and they get curious looks from the check-in clerk but they get their keys and head up to their room. He texts Allura on the elevator ride up and learn that they are the first to arrive. He doesn’t like her suspicious ‘enjoy the hotel!’ text, and he really doesn’t like it when they unlock their room and find a massive bed covered in pink rose petals and a gift basked with wine and snacks… and condoms. 

**“The gift basket was Lances idea.”** She texts him, after he sends her a selfie with him flipping her off in front of it. Keith picks up the basket and carries it to the very far side of their very large hotel room muttering ‘Allura’s gonna be a widow before she even gets married’ under his breath. They carefully pick up and throw away all the petals, silently wondering how and why they set this up.

Once the bed is cleared, they both seem to have the same realization. There’s one bed. And two of them.

Falling asleep on the couch together during movie night, or Keith resting against Shiro on the plane, are worlds away from actually sleeping in one bed together. First of all, he knows that Keith sleeps in nothing but his underwear, and he seriously doubts Keith actually had the foresight to realize he should pack actual pajamas.

“I’ll sleep on the floor.” Keith volunteers, almost instantly. There is a small love seat in their room, but it’s by no means big enough for either of them to sleep comfortably on. The floor seems the better option of the two, but there’s no way in hell he’s going to do that to Keith.

“No, it’s fine, Keith. Take the bed. I’ll take the floor.” If Keith’s uncomfortable by the idea of sleeping together like that, then he’s not going to push it, but he’s also not gonna make him sleep on the floor. Keith has a hard-enough time sleeping as is, and he’s spent enough of his life without a proper bed that Shiro refuses to deprive him of the ultra-soft hotel king.

“No, you’re an old man, there’s no way your back can handle the floor.” Keith mocks him, with a slight roll of his eyes. Shiro does have some minor back problems, mostly due to his accident and the weight of his prosthetic, and Keith always makes it sound so much lighter than it really is, which Shiro likes.

“Look, it’s a big enough bed. We’re grown adults, we fall asleep together on the couch all the time. We can handle sharing a bed for a couple of nights?” Keith offers and Shiro hesitates for a second, watching his sit down on the edge of the bed. It is a pretty big bed. He just doesn’t want to risk making Keith feel weird, but since he’s the one who offered…

“Yeah… Yeah, it’s fine. Sharing is fine.” He agrees, setting his suitcase down by one side of the bed, trying not to over think it.

“I am freaking starving, Allura said we could get room service, Right?” Keith finds the menu on the dresser and starts going through it, ordering for both of them without even needing to ask Shiro what he would want to eat, and getting it right.

They unpack their clothes, hanging up their suits in the closet as they wait. They check out the ridiculously large bathroom, and Shiro tries really hard not to think about the fact that the tub is definitely big enough for two.

After they eat they take turns taking showers, and Shiro gets to pretend not to be staring at Keith’s bare and damp chest once he leaves the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist. He swears he sees Keith do the same to him.

“Do you have an extra shirt?” Keith asks him, already digging through the dresser to see what Shiro packed. Shiro, being the over thinker that he is, definitely packed a few extra shirts.

“I forgot to pack pajamas…” is the only explanation Keith gives as he promptly steals a plain black t-shirt from Shiro’s clothes and tugs it on. Shiro can’t argue because what is he supposed to do? Tell Keith that he prefers he sleep mostly naked? Honestly, seeing Keith wearing his shirt isnt much better. It’s several sizes too big for him, and hits his thighs, effectively covering most of his briefs so it essentially looks like that’s all he’s wearing and Shiro might start drooling if he doesn’t look away.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” He chokes out awkwardly, trying to busy himself with his phone. It’s hard to focus though because the bed dips slightly with Keiths weight when he gets into his side of the bed, and there’s suddenly a burning warmth beside him.

“We’re meeting everyone for breakfast tomorrow, right?” He asks, turning off the lamp on his side of the bed.

“I’ve got an alarm set for seven” He answers, nodding in agreement. He sets his phone and his glasses on his nightstand and turns off his own light, leaving them alone together in the darkness.

“We’ve got a very long weekend ahead of, don’t we.” Keith lets out a deep sigh. He’s probably staring at the ceiling, just like Shiro is, trying to keep a good distance between them without falling off the edge.

“We’ve got this.” Is his answer. He believes in them. They’ve always made an amazing team. The only thing that could ruin this plan is Shiro’s own stupid feelings. The temptation to reach over and wrap Keith in his arms in strong and he has to repeatedly remind himself that he can’t. He doesn’t want to scare Keith. He never wants to do anything to hurt Keith. Their friendship means more to him than anything, and he doesn’t want to risk changing it.

“Right… If you say so… Good Night… Babe…” He sounds hesitant, like he doesn’t believe in it, like he’s scared of it. The bed and blankets tussle a bit as Keith turns onto his side, back facing Shiro.

“Good Night, Baby.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is a well-known fact at this point that if Keith is close enough, Shiro will be touching him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I am alive. Astounding. Anyway, have some touchy sheith.

It is a well-known fact at this point that if Keith is close enough, Shiro will be touching him.

Keith’s years in foster homes were not well spent. He didnt have a single good experience during that time. He knows good foster parents are out there. He knows a lot of other kids who got taken into great families. Keith just didn’t have that kind of luck. Or… He didn’t have that kind of personality.

Keith always has been, and always will be, sort of a hot head. Shiro claims he has the impulse control of a badly tempered house cat; If there’s glass to get nocked over, he’s gonna knock it over.

It’s usually an honest to goodness accident. Trouble comes looking for Keith, not the other way around. Someone else would cause the sparks but Keith is the one who kindled it into a forest fire.

Different foster parents handled him in lot of ways. A lot of them just kicked him out without even trying. One family thought locking him alone in his room for days on end any time he messed up was a sufficient form of punishment.

One family took a more physical approach.

He’s been careful to keep everyone at a good distance since. Keith found distant relatives just as he was graduating, but even then, he tended to keep people at arm’s reach. His family hugged him when they first found him but after that Keith kept the physical contact to a minimum. Shiro was the first person that Keith really let touch him. He earned it. He earned Keiths trust, slowly, through a lot of patience and understanding. Once Shiro realized that he had earned the right to step into Keith’s personal space, well, he refused to leave. Not that Keith minds.

Shiro always sits right next to him, or stands beside him, usually close enough that their arms are pressed together. If it’s not that, then Shiro has his hand on Keiths shoulder. That one Keith loves. Shiro usually does it when he can tell that something has set Keith off somehow, angry, or uncomfortable or sad. It doesn’t matter. Shiro will gently place his hand on Keith’s shoulder and everything else disappears. The simple touch grounds him, anchors him to the present reality. Shiro reigns in Keiths impulsiveness.

They just… Like being near eachother. So, it really should not be a surprise to either of them that Keith wakes up to a warm and solid presence pressed against his back.

Even in his sleep, Shiro sought him out, found him, and wrapped himself protectively around Keith.

It’s warm and comfortable and everything Keith dreamed cuddling with Shiro would be like, but it’s also gonna be the death of him.

This feels like the best and worst thing that has ever happened to him. Shiro is spooning him. He’s being held in big strong arms and pressed back against a firm chest and there’s a warm breath against the back of his neck as Shiro nuzzles his face into Keith’s hair and he can sort of feel Shiro’s dick against the curve of his ass and it’s so much bigger than he thought it was and he would like to die right now.

He is not sure how this is all going to play out when Shiro wakes up and discovers the position they are in. How are they gonna talk this one out, he has no idea.

He’s graciously saved by a loud knocking at their door that shocks Shiro awake. There is a split second of hesitation where Shiro realizes that he is spooning Keith but quickly rolls out of bed a moment later. Keith curses internally at the sudden cold as the blankets get tossed off him and he loses Shiro’s warm embrace.

Shiro stumbles to the door and unlocks it, only to find who Keith knows is Allura from the pictures.

“Shiro!” She exclaims in excitement, pulling him into a hug immediately. Keith gets out of the bed to approach, failing to remember that he’s wearing nothing but his briefs and Shiro’s shirt. Well, he’s more drowning in Shiro’s shirt then he is wearing. A painfully attractive reminder of how big Shiro is.

“You must be Keith!” She pushes Shiro away to pull Keith into a squeezing hug that packs more force in it then someone her size should be capable of.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you!” She smiles as releases Keith from her bone hugging embrace. “I’ve heard so much about you. Shiro is constantly talking about you. I am so happy you both could be here.” She seems nice, at first, but then Keith realizes that she’s eyeing him. Scanning him as if she could see right through him and she’s scrutinizing every detail.

“Happy to be here, Allura.” Shiro closes the door and steps over to Keith, wrapping an arm around his waist. Keith melts into the touch without even thinking about it.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Keith tries his best to be friendly, but he’s never really been good at it.

“I am glad to see you two finally together.” She hums in thought, looking between the two of them. The weight she puts on ‘finally’ gives him goosebumps. “Though, I will warn you now, Keith. If you ever hurt him, I will make you regret it.”

“Allura!” Shiro groans. The threat takes Keith back a bit, not expecting it from her at all, but he takes it. He leans further into Shiro’s side.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” And the answer seems to appease her, which is a huge relief to him. Allura looks like some kind of fairy princess from a kid’s book. She’s beautiful; with deep brown skin, long curly white hair, and crystal blue eyes. She wears a knee length light blue and white sundress. Despite her soft and pretty appearance, Keith has no doubt that she would make good on her threat, and that makes her more terrifying.

“Excellent! Now you two should hurry up and get ready! We’ve got a breakfast date to attend!” She claps her hands together. “We’ll be waiting for you downstairs in the lobby!” She leaves it at that, exiting the room and leaving Keith and Shiro to stand there in silence.

“We should uhm… hurry up and get down there.” Shiro is the one to beak away first, heading to the dresser.

“Right, right. You can take the bathroom first.” He says, going to pull out his own clothes. Shiro just nods and heads to the bathroom to change. Keith changes in the bedroom and then joins Shiro in the bathroom to finish getting ready.

They meet the rest of Shiro’s friend’s downstairs in the lobby, Keith nervously hiding behind Shiro as they step out of the elevator. It’s a little intimidating for him, meeting so many new people at once. He’s heard countless stories about Shiro’s friends from his early college years, and he’s sure they’ve heard stories about him. It’d be one thing to meet them as just Shiro’s friend and roommate, but right now, he’s posing as Shiro’s boyfriend. That is a whole different game that Keith doesn’t even know how to play.

“Keithy!” He hears someone shout just before getting tackled in a tight hug, and a lot of the tension leaves his body. That’s right. Shiro’s not the only person here he knows. He has met one of Shiro’s close friends before.

“Matty!” He laughs a bit as he’s squeezed. Mathew Holt is Shiro’s other best friend. He comes around to visit Shiro a lot, so Keith’s met him plenty of times. They are actually fairly close, only cause Matt (like Shiro) insisted that they be friends. He’s never been so happy to see him

“Matt” Comes Shiro’s warning voice from behind them, slowly tugging Keith out from his friends hold. Matt just laughs.

“Oh come on Shiro, I doubt I could steal him from you if I tried.” Matt roles his eyes with a laugh. Matt used to joke a lot that he was going to marry Keith. The first time was actually when they first met, and Matt watched Keith scarf down three orders of fries and four orders of chicken nuggets in five minutes. Pretty much every time after that that Matt witnessed Keith do something strange, he would just exclaim ‘I am gonna marry that man.’ At first Keith thought it was weird but then it became just as funny to him as Matt started applying it to the weirdest possible things, and of course after learning that Matt was one hundred percent straight.

Shiro however, never found the joke all that funny.

“Yeah, you know he’s not my type.” Keith laughs, playfully pushing Matt off him. Matts fake pout makes him laugh more.

“Sorry, Matty. Grow another four inches, gain a lot more muscle and then we’ll talk.” He steps back towards Shiro and latches onto his arm, squeezing his fake-boyfriends bicep a bit to emphasize the point. Shiro said the easiest way to lie was to stick as close to the truth as possible.

This was his truth. Shiro is his type. The definition of his type, really. Four more inches and Matt would be exactly Shiro’s height. Keith likes them big and tall and strong.

He see’s Shiro’s face grow a bit pink, but he ignores it to stick his tongue out playfully at Matt.

“Ouch. Rejected and Roasted at the same time. Should have seen this coming. I never stood a chance against Shiro.” Matts fake whine is hilarious. It’s like two octaves higher than his natural voice and it’s terrible.

“Nope.” He agrees, Still clinging to Shiro.

“Are they always like this?” Someone asks, and Keith head snaps up as he remembers that they were in the presence of others. He’s used to it just being the three of them. But theres five other people here.

There’s Allura and her Fiancé, who Keith knows is named Lance. There’s an older man with a thick, curly orange mustache that Keith figures is Allura’s uncle. There’s a miniature version of Matt that Keith knows is ‘Pidge’, his little sibling. Which leaves Hunk, who must be the big guy with the big and friendly smile.

“From what I’ve heard, Yeah.” Pidge answers, surely having heard more stories about them then the rest of Shiro’s friends.

“Are introductions needed?” Allura asks, but Keith shakes his head.   
“Shiro talks enough about you guys for me to know exactly who is who” Introductions he thinks are just awkward and a waste of time “and I am sure you guys know who I am.” Allura already confirmed earlier that Shiro talks about him, and Pidge confirmed it just now too.

“Where’s Romelle?” He asks, realizing that there is one introduction that should take place. Romelle is Keiths cousin, sort of. They were in foster care together and that’s how they referred to eachother. She’s the only one there that Keith let get sort of close. By the amazing coincidences of the universe, she ended up being a distant relative of Allura’s. Shiro has not met her yet.

“She’s waiting for us at the restaurant.” Allura informs him as she leads everyone outside to a rather large transport van. Shiro and Keith sit in the very back with Matt, and Keith insists on snuggling into Shiro’s side because he’s decided that if he’s gonna suffer through this than he’s gonna fucking milk it for everything he can get.

“Are you really a black belt?” The big guy, Hunk is sitting Infront of them and he and Pidge turn around to excitedly talk to them.

“In Tae-Kwon-Do and in Karate. I’m still learning Jujitsu” He nods as he answers, a bit of a blush on his cheeks. How much has Shiro told them?

“That’s so cool.” “Could you teach me something? I wanna be able to drop kick Lance.” “Hey!”

“Yeah, I think I can do that” He laughs, relaxing into the conversation a bit. “You guys are robotic engineers, right? I’ve heard you two build some pretty cool stuff?” He asks, feeling the need to continue conversation with Shiro’s friends but he’s not really comfortable talking about himself. But he does want them to like him. To approve.

Both their faces light up in excitement and Pidge starts ruffling around in their bag, only to pull out a metallic pyramid that barely fits in the palm of their hand.

“Rover: On.” They command, and it lights up with a low green light, and begins to hover in the air. Keith stares at it in total amazement.

“That is pretty cool.” Keith whistles. He’s never seen a robot quiet like that.

“So far all he can do is play music and light up and float. But we’re in the process of hooking up to an internet system so he can answer questions and act as a GPS system. He’ll be like a portable Alexa, but cooler and way less creepy about storing information.” Hunk jokes, passing Rover back to Keith so he can examine it. It makes a little beeping sound that is somehow cute. He didn’t know robots could be cute.

“He’s kinda like a pet?” Keith hums, checking out the detail of his design before handing the little bot back over. “Impressive.”

* * *

Keith, Pidge and Hunk spend the entire ten-minute drive nerding about mechanical things.

“I am kind of terrified that he can keep up with them?” Matt laughs as they get out the van. Shiro is too busy watching fondly as Keith talks with exaggerated hand movements, a sure sign that someone pushed on one of his intense interests.

“Well, Keith was on his high school robotics team for a little bit, and he’s got this really cold old motorcycle from his dad that he maintains himself, so he does know his way around an engine.” Shiro explains, as he and Matt follow a few steps behind the group. 

The Café they are taken to is small, cozy, and nearly empty. There’s a handful of other people either sitting down at a little table or are grabbing an order to-go. But in the very back is a much bigger table, and at it sits a single girl. She’s got wide blue eyes and long blonde pigtails and she wears a pale pink skirt and a white top and she excitedly waves them over as she spots them enter.

“Keith!” Shiro hears her call out, and he sees Keith in front of him tensing a split moment before he’s tackled in a bear hug by the girl that must be Romelle.

Shiro notices Keith’s tension and decides now is a good time to play the ‘good and supportive’ boyfriend that he really wishes he was.

“Romelle? It’s nice to finally meet you.” He clears his throat, stepping up behind Keith. It gets his fake boyfriends’ cousin to instantly unlatch from him and take a step back. Shiro steps forward, closer to Keith, and puts a hand low on his back and is happily surprised to feel Keith lean into it.

“Shiro! Keith didn’t tell me you were this hot!” She exclaims, looking up at him with surprise. Shiro’s seen pictures of her from Keiths phone, and he’s heard plenty of stories. She’s surely had the same experience with him, but now Shiro’s wondering exactly what Keith tells her.

“Remind me why it took you two so long to get together?” She asks, pointedly glaring at Keith, whose face is just as red as Shiro’s probably is.

“Because I am an idiot.” He answers, fully taking the blame for whatever Romelle is accusing them of. At least it’s true. Maybe they really would be together, if Shiro just hadn’t been so ridiculously blind to the fact that the guy he was really into wasn’t his actual boyfriend, but his best friend.

“You’re both idiots.” She huffs under her breath. “Come on, you can tell me all about how you two stopped being idiots. I got us a table.”

“I am going to need a lot of coffee for that.” Keith hands his head with a slight sigh, clearly trying to brace himself for whatever is about to happen.

“Why don’t you go sit. I’ll get your coffee, baby.” He leans down to ‘whisper’ to Keith, but he knows at least most of the others heard it.

“Thanks babe.” Keith grumbles, letting Romelle sit him at the big booth. He goes with Matt, Lance and Hunk to the counter to order.

“You know his coffee order?” Matt asks, talking over Lance whose snickering: ‘Baby’ under his breath.

“Course I know his order. Black coffee with a bit of cinnamon. Largest size they have. A double chocolate muffin. And a jalapeño cheese croissant if they have them.” He’s known that order for years, like it’s been tattooed on the back of his hand forever.

“Wow. That’s gay.” Matt snickers, only teasing; obviously. Shiro just rolls his eyes as he steps up to order for himself and Keith and brings it back to the table once it’s ready.

“Shiro!!! Did you know that Keith didn’t bring a suit with him?” Allura scolds him the second he sits down into the booth. Keith practically launches himself into Shiro’s side, which means he’s been spooked.

“I did not know that?” He asks, looking down at Keith for clarification.

“I don’t own one.” Is the answer he receives. And Yeah, okay, he probably should have thought to ask if Keith had the proper attire for this.

“What did you think you were gonna wear to the wedding?” Romelle jokes, and Keith frowns a bit, leaning closer to Shiro.

“I honestly didn’t even think about it… I was sort of uhmm… distracted while packing.”

“Oh gross, I don’t want to know what that means.” Lance pretends to gag as he joins his place at the table beside Allura, handing her and Coran their drinks and food.

“Lance” Shiro warns, as Keith moves to hide his face partially in Shiro’s shoulder. It’s… an adorably unexpected move on Keiths part.

“I was nervous to finally meet you guys, as you know, Shiro’s boyfriend, not just his friend.” He mumbles, pointedly avoiding their gaze.

“So, distracted that you failed to realize you didn’t pack any kind of formal attire?”

“He also forgot to pack his pajamas.” Shiro comes to Keiths defense, but instantly regrets it as that fact is probably not at all helpful to them right now.   
“Well then it’s a good thing I knocked this morning.” Allura giggles, which seems to embarrass Keith further.

“You know what this means though? We’ve got to get Keith some new clothes!” Romelle exclaims, and both Allura and Lance’s eyes light up with mischief at the exact same time.

“Mall Trip!”

-

When they get to the mall, everyone splits up. Hunk goes to the food court. Coran says he’s ‘got a bone to pick with an old chum’, Pidge and Matt go to check out video games. Lance tries to go with them but Allura won’t let him. She drags him into the party of herself, Romelle, Shiro and Keith on the great mission to find Keith some nice attire for the wedding.

“Allura I really can’t afford this.” Keith tries to get out of it but Shiro already knows from experience that that excuse doesn’t work.

“Nonsense, you won’t be the one buying it, I will.” She chirps happily but her smile is not as sweet as her voice. Allura’s family is extremely wealthy, she’s the heiress to a huge company and a few years ago she inherited everything. She uses all that money for good. She donates to charities left and right. She also insists on endlessly spoiling her friends. Keith is next on her sugaring hit list.

“Allura, I can’t let you spend money on me.” Keith hates when people buy him things. He’s been independent all his life, has always had to have money of his own. Keith wouldn’t even let Shiro buy him a cup of coffee for the first like three months of their friendship.

“Oh baby, it’s cute that you think she’s giving you a choice.” He sighs, placing a hand on his shoulder. The others just nod in agreement.

“You’re not walking out of this building until I am thoroughly satisfied with your new wardrobe.”

Keith balks, staring at her like a fish out of water, unsure of what to do or say. Keith may be stubborn, but no one can talk their way out of Allura’s friendship, or her wallet.

“You can buy me one suit. For the wedding. That’s it.” He tries, so valiantly and confidently. He thinks he’s putting his foot down. But there is no winning with Allura.

“Did you bring swim trunks because the hotel has an excellent jacuzzi. Do you have a dress shirt for rehearsal dinner? I didn’t think so. Oh! Look, there’s a lingerie shop, shall we get you something there too?” Allura points at one of the stories there passing that does display Womans lingerie and Shiro’s brain instantly short circuits.

He had never even thought about Keith wearing lingerie before but now he can’t get the picture out of his mind. Something dark and lacey. Maybe stockings to accentuate his long legs or his ass and _nope. Nope. Stop going there._

“No! No Lingerie!” Keith snaps, shaking his head insistently, a bright blush blooming his cheeks ones again as he avoids looking at Shiro, who is very pointedly trying not to look at him and imagine him in lacey underwear.

“Then we’ll stick to just the special occasion wear.” She grins, and Keith sighs in defeat, both knowing that she’s won.

Allura decides to kick Shiro out of the store as they’re picking shirts out for Keith. She’s decided that it should be a surprise for him, whatever Keith dresses up in.

He only agrees because he seriously doubts that he would be able to handle seeing Keith all dressed up right now. He’s already not looking forward to seeing Keith in a suit for the wedding. He’s used to seeing him in ratted hoodies and scuffed leather jackets and work our clothes. He’s never seen Keith dressed up in anything fancy. He has a had enough time handling Keith in his normal attire, he’s not sure his heart can handle him in a suit and tie.

He takes his time to walk around the mall, struggling to remember the last time he was in a shopping center.

He just walks around, sort of window shopping. There’s nothing in his life that he really wants or needs right now, besides Keith, so he just browses until he finds Hunk sampling and judging every restaurant in the food court. He grabs a Jalapeno cheesy pretzel and a strawberry lemonade for Keith and a good old-fashioned butter salt pretzel for himself before heading back to the store, hoping they’ll be done clothes shopping. Keith happily accepts the snack and they share the drink and Shiro carries the massive paper bag Keith stepped out of the store with.

Everyone ends up scattered for a while, except for the two of them. From then on they stick together, just sort of doing laps around the mall, only looking at eachother and the path in front of them and not anything worth buying. After they pass about five shops in and Shiro noticing a few different people glancing at them, he decides to take the risk of grabbing Keith’s hand.

It’s probably one of the best decisions he’s ever made. Keith’s hand intertwined perfectly with his own, and instead of wincing or pulling away, Keith squeezed his hand tight and didn’t let go for a second until they met with the others to head back to the hotel.

Lance was the one who insisted they have a ‘pool-party’ at the hotel. The hotel bar caters to the pool lounge, apparently, so they ordered a whole lot of beers and fruity drinks and insisted everyone meet down there. Shiro wanted to say no. Make up some excuse about being tired. But Keith, the desert boy that he is, loves swimming any chance he could get. When asked if they were joining, Keith turned and looked at him with puppy-eyes. Something Shiro did not even know he was capable of making and curses the universe for it because he’s weak to them. He says yes and Keith changes into the black swim trunks that Allura bought for him before Shiro could even think about it. Shiro gives in and changes into his own black and purple stripped swim trunks and a white tank top. He knew Lance and Allura would want to swim but with his prosthetic it’s hard for him, and he doesn’t really like going shirtless with all the scars he’s got so he just planned to sit by the poolside and sip an iced tea. Which works for about twenty minutes until Keith wants to go in the hot-tub.

“Come on, Shiro! It’s good for you” He insists and Shiro doesn’t know how to say no to Keith and his mind is honestly too weak looking at Keiths half-naked dripping wet form to really think about why he shouldn’t get in the steaming hot water. He pulls off his shirt, abandons his drink and follows him to the Jacuzzi. Everyone else piles in too. Thankfully, it’s a pretty big hot tub so it should fit all of them. Shiro sinks down into the water first beside Allura, leaving space for Keith on the other side of him between him and Matt.

It’s not too packed, there’s a small space between each person, mostly thanks to Allura and Lance sitting so close together and Coran deciding that if he stays in the water much longer, he’ll look like his great grandfather that has a name no one else dares to pronounce. Keith, however, apparently decides rather than take up the space assigned to him he should take up Shiro’s space. He doesn’t ask nor hesitate to sit sideways in Shiro’s lap.

Shiro’s eyes go wide at the sudden feeling of weight landing on him but recognizes Keiths familiar warmth even through the boiling water of the tub. He rests his human hand beneath the water, across the Keiths lap to hold him close. He leans his head against Shiro’s other shoulder and glances up at him with a small smile. One thing Shiro has always loved about Keith is how Keith never flinched or stared at him. Everyone else hesitated to touch Shiro’s prosthetic but Keith doesn’t.

Even Adam avoided Shiro’s prosthetic, avoided touching his scars. Even though Shiro told him it didn’t bother him. Not that Keith undermines Shiro’s physical disability. He knows Shiro’s shy about his scars and he doesn’t like when people stare but Keith… Keith’s always just treated it like another part of Shiro to love. He wonders if Keith chose to sit in his lap because now, he’s blocking the view of most scars on his chest, stomach and shoulder. Just another way that Keith protects him.

“You two are disgusting” Lance pretends to gag, and Keith just rolls his eyes. Keith and Lance have clicked in a rather strange way. While Keith just sort of clicked with Pidge and Hunk and instantly became friends, Keith and Lance seemed to claim eachother as enemies on sight. Not in a serious way. He doubts Keith would ever actually hurt Lance like he wouldn’t hesitate to do with anyone else he hates. It’s more of a playful rivalry.

“Oh, they’ve always been like this, long before they were dating.” He hears Matt laugh but honestly, he’s more focused on the fact that his best friend and crush is sitting comfortably in his lap. He can feel Keith against his thighs, against his chest, his shoulder, and unfortunately against his crotch but that’s the part that he’s trying really hard to not think about.

“And yet it took you guys this long to get together?” Someone else asks, maybe Romelle. He’s busy resting his head against Keiths, closing his eyes, and just enjoying the moment of closeness.

“I don’t even think we noticed, really. Shiro was in a relationship with someone else for a long time, and then I was with someone else for a bit” Keith answers

“Didn’t Shiro set you up with that guy though?” Matt snickers, which Shiro actually hears and tenses up a bit. Keith instantly relieves that tension by tilting his head up to press a gentle kiss to Shiro’s jaw that makes him feel a little lightheaded.

“I did” He answers for himself, opening his eyes to see Keiths sly grin. It’s the look he gets whenever he’s been issued some kind of challenge and that spurs Shiro on too. “At the time though I didn’t think I would get so jealous seeing him with someone else.” He kisses Keith’s forehead, watching his face heat up.

“You two are just downright embarrassing.” Lance jokes. Keith lifts his head to look at Lance across the tub. He sees the fire spark behind Keiths eyes and braces himself for whatever is coming.

“Speaking of embarrassing, Lance. Thanks for that welcome basket. But the condoms are way too small for Shiro. Do you want them back, maybe you could use them?” A brave burn for someone trying to impress his fake boyfriends’ friends. It makes Shiro choke on air and Lances face burns. The first to actually laugh is Allura, who finds her Fiancé’s embarrassment adorable. Everyone else follows in the laughter and Keith seems rather proud of himself despite Shiro’s own mortification. He’s never heard Keith make a joke like that before, and it probably doesn’t help to hear Keith joke about his dick while he’s actually sitting in Shiro’s lap. Nor does it help knowing that it’s an accurate statement. The condoms in Lance’s little prank basket were too small for him and judging by the way Keith said it with so much confidence, he actually knows it’s true too.

Keith’s never seen him naked but Shiro’s never been shy around Keith. Especially not after realizing his own feelings. Keith once made an off-handed comment about someone not being big enough for him and ever since Shiro has subconsciously (and occasionally consciously) just how big he is in ever way possible. He wears tight tank tops and gray sweatpants around the house. Takes every opportunity he can to tower over Keith and show off his height and his muscles. Now he knows that Keith definitely noticed.

“I did not need to hear about Shiro’s big dick but thanks for that Keith” Pidge complains, still laughing a bit as they reveal in Lance’s embarrassment.

“Well, it’s a good thing we got separate rooms instead of conjoining suites”

“Are you going to be this gross all weekend?”

Keith looks up at Shiro again with a grin and a determined fire in his eyes that Shiro knows now means there’s no way he is going to survive this weekend.

“Absolutely”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was fun. Hope ya'll enjoyed that. Hopefully I'll be back soon with another update? Who knows, not me.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! I always love reading your comments, they encourage me to keep going!


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